National e-Security Awareness

The Australian Government has partnered with industry and community groups to hold a National E-security Awareness Week from 6-13 June 2008. The aim of the Week is to help Australians understand e-security risks, and educate home and small business users about how they can protect themselves online. 

Open Forum is proud to support the initiative by launching an e-Security online discussion forum. During the month of June, we are publishing a series of blogs and commentaries about people’s experiences with the internet security and protecting themselves online.

Independent Review of the Australian Government’s use of ICT

The Austraian Government has engaged UK Efficiency Expert Sir Peter Gershon to lead an independent review of the Australian Government's use and management of information and communication technology (ICT). The review is part of the broader ongoing reform agenda to improve the efficiency of government spending and deliver better value for money.  It will provide a snapshot of the current state of ICT in the Australian Government, what exists and how it is managed to deliver Government objectives.

To raise awareness about the project and solicit public views on the ICT Review's Terms of Reference, this Open Forum discussion page will be open for comments until 30 May 2008.

How is Web 2.0 influencing and delivering e-recruitment and talent retention in Australia?

Social networking will soon become an essential part of the recruitment arena, according to Mike Giuffrida.

How is Web 2.0 influencing and delivering e-recruitment and talent retention in Australia?

To answer this question we need to define what Web 2.0 means. Web 2.0 is an interesting term, and particularly hard to define.

In Australia, the internet gained momentum in 1995 and 1996, firstly with Web 1.0 and now with Web 2.0. These references relate to the accessibility of the internet. For example, in the early days internet access was slow and difficult and mainly via dial-up devices. I call this Web 1.0.

Today the internet is ‘always on' and speeds have increased by five to 10 times which enables people to deliver more functions and features – and to deliver them faster.  I call this Web 2.0.

Essentially, I see the internet as a platform for delivery.

Flexible work practices mean getting back to basics

With a skills shortage looming in some areas, and clear and present in others, there's only really one way out – change work practices, or lose business, says Penny Holt.

When it comes to flexible working conditions we're in a bit of a stalemate.  There are companies which need staff, but can't get them because they won't rethink the way they operate. On the other side we have highly qualified, highly skilled staff who can pick and choose who they work for, and who are opting for the roles that let them maintain their work life balance.

A lot has been said about the benefits of flexible work practices, in terms of productivity, staff morale, retention rates and growth. But the message simply isn't getting through.

The companies that are doing it, are doing extremely well and will continue to do well as the skills shortage worsens.

But most companies are simply not getting the message, and wondering why they can't recruit the skilled staff they need in a rapidly expanding economy.

Australia 2020 Summit: Did the “1000 Best and Brightest” get it right ?

Now that the summit is over – do you think we're headed in the right direction?

PR stunt, or revolutionary approach to policy development? Lively debate or rubber stamp? Whether or not you agree with the process, it's clear that the outcomes of the Australia 2020 will affect all of us in the coming years.

So don't miss out on your chance to read through the result of the Summit and comment on long-term challenges Australia faces.

While the Summit is over, Open Forum still provides you with the opportunity to influence government policy by participating in our online debates and forums. 

If you wouldn’t do it in the real world – don’t do it online

Sure, social networking is fun, catching up with old school friends, flashing through their photos, seeing how their lives have developed, it’s a really neat way to keep in contact with people. But it’s also a great way to provide fraudsters with a wealth of information that can then be used to access your existing bank accounts, or even create new ones.

The Symantec Internet Security Threat Report reviews known vulnerabilities, analyses network-based attacks, and tracks the occurrence of malicious code based on intelligence data gathered from two million decoy email accounts in 30 different countries, as well as 40,000 sensors spread over 180 countries. To create the report Symantec also draws malicious code reports from over 120 million client, server, and gateway systems that have deployed its antivirus product.

Collaborate or Collapse

For the first time in a long time we’re worried. You can see it on people’s faces as they read of the malaise in the global economy, or in the way they fidgit at any mention of interest rates.

And the reason we’re concerned is for a long time we’ve been taking our economic situation for granted. In a strong global economy we have allowed our trade deficit to get seriously out of balance, especially in areas where we should be doing well, like the service sector.

At the moment we import more knowledge than we export, and this is a problem we’ll need to face if we want to get some control over our destiny.

To gain this control we need to cast off our sheepish tendency to false modesty, and begin to innovate.

Turning Spatial Data into Dollars

Spatial information contributes between $6.4 billion and $12.6 billion to the Australian economy in 2007, and we're only just scratching the surface, says Peter Woodgate.

How many times a day do you access spatial information?

Everytime you look at a weather forecast, log onto Google Earth, use an in-car or hand-held navigation system. Industries such as commercial fishing, real estate and mining are increasingly dependent on such systems for doing everything from detecting schools of fish and mineral deposits to locating lost truck drivers.

The everyday use of spatial data is becoming truly ubiquitous. Indeed over 60 countries have satellite systems that take pictures of the earth, manage positioning systems or handle telecommunications.

Economic consultants ACIL Tasman has just published a study of the economic impact of spatial information on the Australian economy, and the results will surprise some.

The study, commissioned by the Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI), found the spatial information industry made between a $6.4 billion to $12.6 billion contribution to Australia's gross domestic product in 2006/07 and had a positive impact on the trade balance by generating exports valued at between $1.3 billion and $2.3 billion.

Creating Flexible Workplaces

Smart companies need to use more flexible approaches to get the best from their staff.

Impact of Board Diversity on Productivity and Competitiveness

If companies are serious about remaining competitive, they need to start at the board level, explains Ruth Medd.

There are two major arguments for increased diversity and more women on the boards of Australian companies. Firstly the civil society argument that boards, like other institutions, should be reflective of the society in which they operate. And secondly there's the business case.

There is ample evidence that board diversity is good for productivity and competitiveness, and that injecting diversity into boards and senior management improves overall performance.

Take recruitment and retention as a case in point.

One of the greatest challenges for business in Australia today is the attraction and retention of talent in their organisations.  In a tightening labour market, retention of female talent, in particular, is a challenge that business is now more interested in addressing. 

Maternity challenges in Australia

Does Australia need paid maternity leave? What would a national overhaul of the childcare system look like? How can we encourage a better corporate understanding of motherhood issues? We invite you to participate in an Australia-wide attempt to create a collaborative, coherent and informed proposal for a unified, national response to the most pressuring issues facing motherhood today.

Being a mother in a society which emphasises economic performance over all other values is a challenge. Yet, the economic realities of motherhood are closely connected to Australia's falling birth rate. They extend beyond the debate of whether the nation should support working mothers through paid maternity leave entitlements.

Motherhood for Baby Boomers: Mums Learning from Mums

We've all looked up to our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers and thought – how did they do it? For all of us in our twenties and beyond these women raised families in pre-1990 years, when the experience of being a parent was rather different – or was it?